Automatic air-brake appliance.



J. A. 6; L. F. COUCH.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT; a, 1902.

Patented June 15, 1909. T l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1A 3mm "tom wituaoeo I J 7 6m .Wq I

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J. A. & L. F. UOUGH. AUTOMATIG AIR BRAKE APPLIANGB. APPLICATION FILED SEP'1.8, 1908.

924,742. "Patented June 15,1909,

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- the following is a specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. COUCH AND LEE F. COUCH, OF NASHVILLE, ARKANSAS.

AUTOMATIC AIR-BRAKE APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 8, 1908.

No. 924,742. Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial No. 452,137.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, James A. COUCH and l appended.

LEE F. COUCH, citizens of the United States, l In the accompanying drawing,

residing at Nashville, in the county of Howpart of this specification r-Figure ard and State of Arkansas, have invented plan view of a truck,

certain new and useful Improvements in- Automatic Air-Brake Appliances, of which lwithin the scope of the claims hereunto forming a l, is a top having the improved brake appliance mounted thereon, enough of the bolster broken away to show the conf struction thereof. Fig. 2, is a side elevation Our invention has relation to new and usethereof. Fig. 3, is a vertical sectional view of ful improvements in the mode of automat- I Fig. 1, taken on the line 33, thereof. ically applying air brakes, to the wheels of l 4, is a sectional view of a portion of the dea truck, in the event of the derailment of one 1 vice, showing one of the truck wheels deor more of said wheels. railed, and consequently the valve raised It has been claimed in previous patents l from its seat. Fig. 5, is a vertical sectional that a superior device is created by applying view of Fig. 3, taken on the line 55, thereof. the automatic brake mechanism to that part f Fig. 6, is a horizontal sectional view of Fig. 3, of the truck which does not respond to prestaken on the line 6--6 thereof, showing the sure, caused by the amount of the load or the shape of the valve stem in cross section.

Referring more particularly to the drawnumber of passengers carried by the car, or

lng's our invention 18 described as follows l l by a sudden jar, due to an obstacle on the 1 track, through accident, or so placed with I The train pipe 1, which is connected to the I under surfaces of the cars of said train by any i In our device we purposely connect the automatic mechanism thereof to the bolster of the truck, so that, should a sudden, overthereto at each truck a hose coupling whelming jar be caused by some impediment which is in turn connected to one of the pipes in the path of one of the track wheels, then 3. Said pipes 3, communicate with each the brakes will be, and ought to be set, that l other by means of the connecting pipe 4. is, if said jar is sufiicient to bring the valve These pipes 3, are secured to the bolster 5, by actuating lever into contact with one of the l means of the braces 6, said pipes having track rails. This will also be a preventive, downwardly turned portions 7, secured or or warning to trainmen, in the overcrowding formed thereto. of passenger trains, which overcrowding has The downwardly extending portion 7, havbeen the cause of disastrous accidents. ing the valve 8, firmly held in its seat by The fact that our device is connected to means of a spring 9, has the vertically disthe bolster, will not in any wise, hamper its l posed slots 10, cut in the walls thereof. A efiicient operation. i valve actuating lever 11, each end of Which Thus the object of our invention is to propasses through the slots in one of the said vide a brake operating mechanism, which downwardly extending portions 7, is bowed will be efiicient in operation, simple in conupwardly so as to pass any obstruction that struction, strong and durable, and most immay happen to be in its path. This lever portant of all, automatic in its operation,

mischievous intent.

substantial means, and which 18 o1ned from car to car in the usual manner, has connected may be made of any suitable material, and of whenever danger threatens damage or injury desired thickness. Said lever is heldagainst to the train or its occupants. Further it is observed that the installation of our mechanism will be comparatively inexpensive.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangements of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred em- Jodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications can be resorted to which come i The operation of our invention is described l as followsz-Should one or more Wheels of a truck jump the track said valve actuating 1 lever will come in contact with one of the j rails 13, forcing the valve stem upwardly, causing the valve to leave its seat against the action of said spring 9. Thus the air will escape from the pressure tanks, throughout the entire train, setting all of thebrakes secured to the trucks thereof.

sidewise movement by means of the cotter l pins 12, passed through perforations therein.

If it is desired to throw out of operation any one of the automatic brake operating mechanisms the cut off 14, may be employed for this purpose.

Our invention is adapted to be used in connection with the well known Westinghouse automatic air-brake, or other train-brake mechanisms in which the brake is applied by the liberation of air in the train-pipe or the admission of air or steam to a brake-cylinder, and may also be applied to systems where the making or breaking of an electric circuit is caused to actuate a brake.

It is observed that by the use of our inven tion, it is necessary to employ only one pipe coupling 2, at each truck in order that the brake mechanisms may be successfully oper ated. This is accomplished by the arrangement of pipes 3, and their means of communication, consisting of pipe 4.

As our invention resides mainly in the manner and means of setting the brakes, we have not gone into details in the description of the truck, the particular valve that may be used, or the particular construction or method of brake appliance that may be employed, as these are shown in the drawings for illustrative purposes only, andeach may be substituted, respectively, for its equivalent.

Our device as illustrated, though it is shown in its preferred form, is thus represented for illustrative purposes only, and therefore we may claim the right to make such slight changes in the construction and arrangement of the elements thereof, as will not sacrifice any. of our patentable rights, and as will not depart from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to claim by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described the combination with a car provided with power operated brakes, of a brake-setting valve operating mechanism, comprising two parallel pipes, secured to the bolster of the truck of said car, and at right angles to the track rails, said pipes communicating with each other, valve actuating levers, so arranged that they will strike against one of the trackrails, in case of derailment of one or more of the car-wheels, or over-pressure on .1

said bolster, and operate said brakesetting' valves, said lever adapted and arranged to slide vertically, means of communication furnished between said parallel pipes and said train pipe, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device of the character described the combination with a car provided with power operated brakes, of a brake-setting valve operating mechanism, comprising two parallel pipes, secured to the bolster of the truck of said car, and at right angles to the traclorails, said pipes communicating with each other, valve actuating levers, so ar ranged that they will strike against one of said track-rails, in case of derailment of one or more of the car-wheels, and operate said brake-setting valves, said lever adapted to slide in vertically disposed slots cut in down wardly extending portions of said parallel pipes; means of communication between said parallel pipes and said train-pipe, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a device of the character described the combination with a car provided with power operated brakes, of a brake-setting valve operating mechanism, com rising two parallel pipes, secured to the b0 ster of the truck of said car, and at right-angles to the track-rails, said pipes communicating with each other, valve actuating levers, downwardly extending portions secured or formed to said pipes at their outer ends, said portions containing valves, the valves held normally in position by springs, vertically disposed slots cut in each of said portions, said valve actuating levers adapted to slide in said vertically disposed slots, and so arranged as to strike against one of the track rails, in case of derailment of one of the car-wheels, and operate said brake-setting valves, one hose coupling leading from each truck to the trainpipe of said car, as means of communication etween said parallel pipes and said trainpipe, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we aifix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. COUCH. LEE F. COUCH.

Witnesses:

SAM E. LEsLrE, LAURENCE M. DALY. 

